ISSUES AND CONCERNS TOWARDS VARIOUS POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES IN LAGOS STATE: A META-ANALYSIS APPROACH

Abstract

Poverty is a global phenomenon which has been taking its tolls on the third world countries from time immemorial. The rising rate of poverty in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, has since raised concerns among governments and the Lagos State Government (LASG). Despite significant efforts to reduce poverty in line with the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, high poverty rates among the people most particularly at the grassroots persist. This paper therefore adopts the meta-analysis model to review poverty as a social factor bedeviling the Lagos state residents and various strategies adopted by the state government to militate against it. The study concludes that despite the positive impact of the state government on poverty reduction and various programmes embarked upon, much is still needed, especially in redirecting the programmes to the vulnerable. Part of the recommendations of the study is that the state government should expand its coverage to accommodate more residents and increase budgetary allocations to poverty alleviation through the ministry of women and poverty alleviation. Also, the state government should that ensure merit is taken into consideration during the process of choosing the beneficiaries through a transparent process which should be monitored by all stakeholders.